To listen to an in-depth conversation on this topic, hit the play button below:
Doctors and midwives are invaluable complements for any care team, especially during pregnancy. From childbirth to emergency surgery to everything in between, many women work with both healthcare professionals to get the best care possible. Learn how Certified Nurse Midwives, or CNMs, and OB/GYN physicians collaborate in labor and delivery to provide the best hospital patient care.
Dr. Nicole Fanning, OB Hospitalist Group Market Medical Director, Site Director, and OB/GYN Hospitalist, and Barbara Dudley, CNM Director, share insights about team collaboration in labor and delivery. Dr. Fanning and Barbara provide care at Henrico Doctors Forest Campus in Virginia.
“Our program here at Henrico is about three and a half, four years old. We’re an obstetric and midwife group and we’ve had a large uptake in the utilization of midwives over the last three years, and now I find them as an integral part of what we do. I don’t think we can exist as a hospitalist team or hospitals program without them.” – Dr. Nicole Fanning, OBHG Market Medical Director, Site Director, and OB/GYN Hospitalist.
One of the key benefits of this collaborative model is the continuity of care it provides. By working together, CNMs and OB/GYNs develop a strong rapport with their patients, building trust and confidence that can be invaluable during labor and delivery.
“We are always working to encourage healthy relationships between nursing and our team. Our program is a little bit different than others, in that any patient in the community can request midwifery care. It’s encouraged prenatally, our physicians are recommending it, and then if their patient speaks up and says they’d like to have a low intervention birth, they then recommend it even further.
For those patients, the midwife will admit, and labor and deliver them, round on them postpartum, and then discharge the patient, so there is continuity of care. In addition to our hospitalist service, we offer one to one birth support when a unit allows.” – Barbara Dudley, CNM Director.
The collaboration between certified nurse midwives and obstetrician-gynecologists is a testament to the power of teamwork in healthcare. By combining their expertise and working together, CNMs and OB/GYNs provide women with the best possible care during pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond. Their partnership exemplifies the importance of a patient-centered approach, where the focus is not just on treating medical conditions, but on supporting women through one of the most transformative experiences of their lives.